or problems in theory or procedures, and to know how to adapt established practices to unanticipated circumstances or new vehicle concepts. So, our aim is to provide a general overview and introduction to flight testing: a general idea of the nature of the field and a sound theoretical basis for what is done. We hope that this book will be a good first step as preparation for entry into the flight testing domain, where more detailed methods can be picked up on the way.
Official publications, standards, and advisory documents from the relevant civil aviation authority must be regarded as the definitive source for guidance on how to safely conduct flight testing and how to provide sufficient information to comply with the certification requirements. In the United States, this documentation is primarily found in 14 CFR 23, FAA Advisory Circular 23‐8C, and any consensus standards accepted by the FAA (such as standards produced by ASTM International's F44 committee on General Aviation Aircraft). Other helpful sources of procedural and practical information are found in Hamlin (1946), Smith (1981), Stoliker et al. (1996), Stinton (1998), Kimberlin (2003), Ward et al. (2006, 2007), McCormick (2011), Mondt (2014), Corda (2017), and the publicly available flight test guides from the governmental flight test organizations (Herrington et al. 1966; USAF TPS 1986; USN TPS 1977, 1997; Gallagher et al. 1992; Stoliker 1995; Olson 2003). More advanced details on system identification for aircraft are available from Klein and Morelli (2006), Tischler and Remple (2012), or Jategaonkar (2015).
Flight testing is a fascinating, exhilarating field of aerospace engineering. It's incredibly rewarding to connect theory with practice, and we hope that the thoughts we provide here will draw students into a deeper understanding of flight through the intertwined approaches of theory and flying in flight test. And we hope to inspire the next generation of flight test professionals (Figure 1.14) to pursue this fascinating line of work. Hang on for a wild ride!
Nomenclature
MMOmaximum operating Mach numberVMOmaximum operating limit speedVNOmaximum structural cruising speed
Acronyms and Abbreviations
AAFArmy Air ForcesCFRCode of Federal RegulationsCGcenter of gravityDT&Edevelopmental test and evaluationFAAFederal Aviation AdministrationHARVhigh alpha research vehicleLEXleading‐edge extensionNACANational Advisory Committee for AeronauticsNASANational Aeronautics and Space AdministrationOT&Eoperational test and evaluationPSPpressure‐sensitive paintUAVunmanned aerial vehicle
References
1 ASTM Committee F44 on General Aviation Aircraft, Subcommittee F44.20 on Flight. (2017). Standard Specification for Weights and Centers of Gravity of Aircraft. F3082/F3082M‐17, approved 15 October 2017, West Conshohocken, PA: ASTM International. doi: https://doi.org/10.1520/F3082_F3082M-17.
2 ASTM Committee F44 on General Aviation Aircraft, Subcommittee F44.20 on Flight. (2018a). Standard Specification for Performance of Aircraft. F3179/F3179M‐18, approved 1 May 2018, West Conshohocken, PA: ASTM International. doi: https://doi.org/10.1520/F3179_F3179M-18.
3 ASTM Committee F44 on General Aviation Aircraft, Subcommittee F44.20 on Flight. (2018b). Standard Specification for Aircraft Handling Characteristics. F3173/F3173M‐18, approved 1 December 2018, West Conshohocken, PA: ASTM International. doi: https://doi.org/10.1520/F3173_F3173M-18.
4 ASTM Committee F44 on General Aviation Aircraft, Subcommittee F44.20 on Flight. (2019a). Standard Specification for Establishing Operating Limitations and Information for Aeroplanes. F3174/F3174M‐19, approved 1 May 2019, West Conshohocken, PA: ASTM International. doi: https://doi.org/10.1520/F3174_F3174M-19.
5 ASTM Committee F44 on General Aviation Aircraft, Subcommittee F44.20 on Flight. (2019b). Standard Specification for Low‐Speed Flight Characteristics of Aircraft. F3180/F3180M‐19, approved 1 May 2019, West Conshohocken, PA: ASTM International. doi: https://doi.org/10.1520/F3180_F3180M-19.
6 Barlow, J., B., Rae, W. H., and Pope, A., 1999, Low‐Speed Wind Tunnel Testing, 3, New York: Wiley.
7 Corda, S. (2017). Introduction to Aerospace Engineering with a Flight Test Perspective. Chichester, West Sussex, UK: Wiley.
8 Cummings, R.M., Mason, W.H., Morton, S.A., and McDaniel, D.R. (2015). Applied Computational Aerodynamics. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.
9 Federal Aviation Administration (2003). Small Airplane Certification Compliance Program, Advisory Circular 23‐15A. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Transportation.
10 Federal Aviation Administration (2011). Flight Test Guide for Certification of Part 23 Airplanes, Advisory Circular 23‐8C. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Transportation.
11 Fisher, D.F., Del Frate, J.H., and Richwine, D.M. (1990). In‐flight flow visualization characteristics of the NASA F‐18 high alpha research vehicle at high angles of attack. NASA Technical Memorandum 4193 http://hdl.handle.net/2060/19910010742.
12 Gallagher, G.L., Higgins, L.B., Khinoo, L.A., and Pierce, P.W. (1992). Fixed Wing Performance. USNTPS‐FTM‐No. 108,. Patuxent River, MD: Naval Air Warfare Center.
13 Gorn, M.H. (2001). Expanding the Envelope: Flight Research at NACA and NASA. Lexington, KY: University Press of Kentucky.
14 Hallion, R.P. (1972). Supersonic Flight; The Story of the Bell X‐1 and Douglas D‐558. New York: Macmillan.
15 Hallion, R.P. and Gorn, M.H. (2003). On the Frontier: Experimental Flight at NASA Dryden. Washington, DC: Smithsonian Books.
16 Hamlin, B. (1946). Flight Testing Conventional and Jet‐Propelled Airplanes. New York: Macmillan Company.
17 Herrington, R. M., Shoemacher, P. E., Bartlett, E. P., and Dunlap, E. W. (1966). Flight Test Engineering Handbook, USAF Technical Report 6273, Edwards AFB, CA: US Air Force Flight Test Center. Defense Technical Information Center Accession Number AD0636392, https://apps.dtic.mil/docs/citations/AD0636392.
18 Jategaonkar, R.V. (2015). Chapter 2. In: Flight Vehicle System Identification: A Time‐Domain Methodology, 2e. Reston, VA: American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics.
19 Jenkins, D. R., Landis, T., and Miller, J. (2003). American X‐Vehicles: An Inventory – X‐1 to X‐50. Monographs in Aerospace History No. 31, NASA SP‐2003‐4531.
20 Jumper, E.J., Gordeyev, S., Davalieri, D. et al. (2015). Airborne Aero‐Optics Laboratory – Transonic (AAOL‐T). AIAA 2015‐0657,. Kissimmee, FL: American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, 53rd Aerospace Sciences Meeting.
21 Kimberlin, R.D. (2003). Flight Testing of Fixed‐Wing Aircraft. Reston, VA: American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics.
22 Klein, V. and Morelli, E.A. (2006). Chapter 9. In: Aircraft System Identification: Theory and Practice. Reston, VA: American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics.
23 Lachendro, N. (2000). Flight testing of pressure
